1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lidded storage box, such as console boxes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a two-way-opening (or dually-opening) storage box whose lid is openable and closable from both of the sides, namely, from the right and left, or from the front and rear.
2. Description of the Related Art
A two-way-opening box is available in which the lid is opened and closed from the right and left opposite sides with use of a link mechanism. For example, Japanese Patent Gazette No. 3292038 discloses a conventional storage box in which a pair of hinge pins extending in the front/rear direction are disposed at the opposite ends of the lid in the right/left direction; and the paired hinge pins engage at the opposite ends with, pin holes that are formed in the box body. Moreover, in the storage box, the paired hinge pins are divided into two elements, respectively. In addition, the divided elements are provided with switches for swinging that make a pair in the right/left direction. Moreover, the right/left paired switches for swinging are connected with each other by a bridge-shaped member that crosses orthogonally with the front/rear extending direction of the hinge pins.
When a user pushes the left-side switch for swinging, for instance, the above-descried two-way-opening conventional storage box opens in the following manner: the left-side divided hinge pin, which has been engaged with the left-side switch for swinging, moves so that the divided elements approach one another at the division; and then the hinge pin disengages from the left-side pin hole; as a consequence, the lid swings about the right-side hinge pin serving as the center to open the conventional storage box from the left side. On the other hand, when a user pushes the right-side switch for swinging, the conventional storage box opens in the following manner: the right-side divided hinge pin, which has been engaged with the right-side switch for swinging, moves so that the divided elements approach one another at the division; and then the hinge pin disengages from the right-side pin hole; as a consequence, the lid swings about the left-side hinge pin serving as the center to open the conventional storage box from the right side. Such a conventional two-way-opening storage box has been installed in the center console of vehicle, for instance.
In a storage box as described above, it is desirable to decelerate a closing speed of the lid when a user closes the lid that has been swung in the right direction or in the left direction. This is desirable because noises have become louder when the lid collides with the box body, if the closing speed is faster. When the lid opens in one of the right and left directions alone, it is possible to employ one and only decelerator, which utilizes a gear mechanism and a damper, around the swing shaft. However, since it should be necessary to provide the conventional two-way-opening storage box with a decelerator around the right and left swing shafts, respectively, such a constitutional design is disadvantageous in view of space, and in view of strength.
Incidentally, it has been desired recently, not only to open the lid from the right and left opposite sides, but also to slide the lid in the forward or rear direction in order to open the storage section in the box body on the front or rear side. In particular, it has been demanded for a console box of vehicle to slide the lid rearward in order to open the storage section in the box body on the front side. Moreover, it has been common to dispose the above-described switch for swinging on the front side of the lid. However, when it is intended to provide the conventional storage box disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 3292038 with a lid that is capable of sliding, it has been difficult to provide the conventional storage box with an opening on the front side because the bridge-shaped member exists to connect the right/left paired switches for swinging with each other.
Hence, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2010-235123 proposes a two-way-opening storage box in which the lid is made openable and closable to both of the right/left opposite sides by devising a link mechanism without disposing any bridge-shaped, member that connect the right/left paired, switches for swinging therein. This second conventional storage box is convenient for users, because they can make an opening on the front side when they slide the lid.
In the second conventional two-way-opening storage box disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2010-235123, however, if a user should have touched one of the right/left paired switches for swinging inadvertently, the locking of the lid with the switch might have been canceled so that the lid might possibly open to the right side, or to the left side, accidentally in such a circumstance as the user is in the process of sliding the lid, or even in such another circumstance as the user has slid the lid to make an opening appear. If the thus slid lid should have opened to the right or left side, the lid does not look nice to the user because the internal construction of the lid is visible to him or her from the back-face side. Consequently, it is needed to provide the lid with a cover for masking that has resulted in increasing the quantity of component parts. Moreover, fears of breaking the thus slid lid might also possibly have arisen because the lid would have been subjected to loads that act from different directions than the ordinary directions.
Moreover, although the second conventional two-way-opening storage box disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2010-235123 comprises the sliding lid, the lid is constructed complicatedly. Accordingly, it might be difficult to dispose a decelerator inside the lid. Moreover, the complicatedly constructed lid has an increased weight. Consequently, the lid might be disadvantageous for the deceleration when closing it.
Incidentally, in the second conventional two-way-opening storage box disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2010-235123, the lid comprises a base member covering the storage section, and a movable member covering the base member. The movable member slides with respect to the base member. Moreover, the movable member is provided with a sliding button, which enables the movable member to slide, on the front end face. A user presses the slide button with his or her hand or finger to cancel the locking between the movable member and the base member. Then, the user slides the movable member rearward to open the storage section by way of an opening that is formed, in the base member.
In the thus constructed second conventional two-way-opening storage box, locking the movable member with the base member has been demanded in order to inhibit an accelerating and decelerating vehicle from moving the movable member even at a position where the movable member has fully slid. Hence, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2010-235123 discloses a locking structure. The locking structure is provided with a locking pin that engages with the sliding button. The locking pin engages with the base member when a user cancels or stops pressing the sliding button at a position where the movable member has fully slid. Then, when the user represses the sliding button to cancel the locking between the locking pin and the base member, “CONSTON SPRING”™, one of constant-load springs, with which the movable member is provided, slides the movable member automatically to close the opening in the base member.
However, in the above-desorbed locking structure, the pressing direction of the sliding button coincides with the direction in which the movable member slides to open. Moreover, the movable member usually slides slightly excessively beyond a lock position at which it is locked by the locking pin, in order to prevent a user from sensing the bumping movable member. Consequently, when a user presses the sliding button at a slid-open position, the locking pin, which has been released from locking with the base member, slides slightly excessively, together with the movable member. Under the circumstance, if the user should have released or stopped pressing the sliding button inadvertently, the locking pin would have reengaged with the base member accidentally. As a result, the lid might have possibly operated faultily to stop moving when “CONSTON SPRING” slides the movable member automatically.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in view of the circumstances as described above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a two-way-opening storage box that not only enables the lid to slide but also makes it possible to reliably inhibit the lid from swinging either to the right side, or to the left side, to open under such a condition as the lid has fully slid, or under such another condition as the lid is sliding.
Moreover, it is another object of the present invention to provide a two-way-opening storage box that can decelerate a speed at the time of closing the lid.
In addition, it is still another object of the present invention to provide a two-way-opening storage box in which behaviors of the lid from the slid condition to the locked condition are improved in order to prevent a locking pin from reengaging with a base member of the lid.
For example, a two-way-opening storage box according to the present invention, which achieves the aforementioned objects, comprises:
a box body with a storage section being provided therein;
a lid being capable of swinging, thereby enabling itself to open and close the storage section from an opposite-end side of the storage section, or from another opposite-end side thereof, in a first direction;
the lid including a base member covering the storage section, and a movable member covering the base member;
a link mechanism being disposed between opposite ends of the base member in a second direction, which differs from the first direction, as well as between opposite ends of the box body in the second direction, the link mechanism, being capable of selectively swinging the lid either to the opposite-end side in the first direction, or to the other opposite-end side therein, with respect to the box body;
the movable member being held onto the base member slidably in the second direction; and
a restrictor being disposed in at least one of the base member and the movable member, the restrictor being capable of restricting the link mechanism from being actuated under such a condition as the movable member has fully slid, and/or under such another condition as the movable member is sliding.
In accordance with the two-way-opening storage box according to the present invention, a restrictor restricts the link mechanism from being actuated under such a condition as the movable member of the lid has fully slid, and/or under such another condition as the movable member is sliding. Accordingly, the lid is prevented from swinging in the first direction when the movable member has fully slid, or when the movable member is sliding. Consequently, no such a trouble occurs as the inner structure of the lid is visible to a user from the rear-face side. Therefore, the quantity of component parts can. be reduced, because no such a cover for masking is needed. Moreover, no loads act to the lid, which has fully slid, from directions other than the ordinary directions.
It is preferable that the two-way-opening storage box according to the present invention can further comprise a decelerator being disposed at one of the opposite ends of the lid in the second direction, as well as at one of the opposite ends of the box body in the second direction, the decelerator being capable of decelerating a moving speed of the lid that swings in a closing direction. If such is the case, it is possible to alleviate noises that result from, collisions between the box body and. the lid when closing the fully-swung lid.
In addition, it is preferable that the two-way-opening storage box according to the present invention can comprise the movable member of the lid that includes a sliding lock, and a sliding button, the sliding lock being capable of engaging with the base member of the lid at a slid-close position at which the movable member covers the storage section, in the box body as well as at a slid-open position at which the movable member opens the storage section partially in order to restrict the movable member from sliding at the slid-close position, and at the slid-open position, the sliding button being capable of releasing the sliding lock from locking with the movable member; and that the present two-way-opening storage box can further comprise a circumventer, the circumventer being capable of releasing the sliding lock from locking with the movable member when the sliding button is pressed at the slid-open position, thereby circumventing the sliding lock from reengaging with the base member when the pressed sliding button is subsequently released, from the pressing.
In accordance with the two-way-opening storage box according to the present being constructed as described above, the circumventer circumvents the sliding lock from reengaging with the base member of the lid when a user presses the sliding button at the slid-open position to release the sliding lock from locking with the movable member and subsequently releases the sliding button inadvertently from being pressed. Therefore, it is possible to make an urging means slide the movable member of the lid smoothly in a base-covering direction, without ever causing such a trouble as locking the sliding lock with the base member accidentally.